


Pickles

by CloverCreative



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Grief, Jealousy, Oneshot, Tokka Week 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 05:15:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26347717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloverCreative/pseuds/CloverCreative
Summary: “It’s Kanto.” she says, her voice strangely unreadable.“Oh,” Sokka swallows the sudden lump in his throat. “What about him?” he asks, making a distinct effort to keep his voice unreadable too.Which is hard, considering the urge he has to explode.A bit late, but here's my submission for Day 1 of Tokka Week 2020. Couldn't decide between the two prompts so I went with both! Here's my take on Jealousy/Grief
Relationships: Toph Beifong/Sokka
Comments: 16
Kudos: 152





	Pickles

**Author's Note:**

> Woot woot! It's Tokka Week 2020! I've been busy writing the last few chapters of my WIP, but I wanted to take a break and write something for this very exciting occasion. Hope you enjoy!

Sokka wakes with a start, his eyes darting wide open, though he hasn't the slightest idea as to _why_. Confused, he stares blankly at his ceiling for a moment before slowly sitting up in bed, rubbing the grogginess from his eyes as they adjust to the darkness. _What time is it?_ Squinting, he turns his head and peers out his window, and the moon that's high in the sky tells him to _go back to sleep_. Shrugging away the mysterious disturbance, he lays his head back down on the pillow, and _just_ as he starts to drift back to sleep… he hears it.

_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

Again, his eyes flash open, as the sharp knock sounds at his front door, just in the other room. The knock is loud and urgent, and Sokka suddenly realizes what must have woke him up in the first place. Sokka sits up again, and on instinct, he grabs his boomerang off his nightstand and clutches it to his chest. He hesitates for a moment, unsure if he wants to entertain whoever would be bothering him at this time of night or if he should just go back to bed and hope they leave.

But the knocking is insistent and only growing louder by the minute, and Sokka rather not get _another_ noise complaint from his cranky neighbors (pre-drinks at his place can get _very_ spirited). So, begrudgingly, he tosses his sheets to the side and swings his legs over the edge of the bed, mumbling a stream of expletives as he gets up to answer the door. He holds his boomerang up behind his head, armed and ready (his warrior instincts are hard to ignore, even twenty years after the war), but he quickly puts it down, as the voice he hears behind the door is a _familiar_ one.

"Snoozles!" the voice rings out, loud enough to be only _slightly_ muffled by the door. Then, another series of louder-than-they-should-be-at-2AM knocks, "Open up, it's me!"

 _Toph_?

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Sokka says, more irritation in his voice than he intends. Then he remembers what time it is and decides it's actually _just the right amount_ of irritation.

_What on Earth is she doing here at this hour?_

Still half asleep, he yawns as he trudges the rest of the way to his door. Tiredly, he fiddles with the lock for a second before it finally clicks. He pulls on the door, and as soon as it opens, Sokka sees but a mere flash of black hair and green clothes, as Toph pushes her way in.

"Sheesh," she says, dryly, "What took you so long?"

Sokka lets out another (slightly over-exaggerated) yawn, "It's the middle of the night, Toph."

She ignores his comment and walks further into his apartment, evidently keen on making herself at home. She shrugs off her jacket, tossing it haphazardly on the floor and leaving her in nothing but baggy pants and a thin white tank top – the one she normally wears under her uniform. Despite his tired state, Sokka's heart picks up (much to his own annoyance) at the sight. He hopes _Toph_ doesn't notice.

He's never admitted this to anyone (he can barely admit it to himself), but he secretly loves when Toph shows a bit of skin. It happens so rarely that it still surprises him - which is _ridiculous_ , really. It's just a tank top, for spirits' sake! He'd seen her in less, back when they were fighting the war.

But back then, they were just kids, and somewhere in their years of friendship, they _grew up_ – in more ways than one – and every inch of exposed skin started to feel just a bit more meaningful.

And before he even _realized_ what it meant, Sokka started taking notice of her skin … just as he does now. He takes notice of her arms, toned and strong from years of bending and busting heads. He takes notice of how, even after all these years, her meteor bracelet – his gift – still sits tightly fastened around her bicep.

He takes notice of her neck, slender and long, which supports a delicate face, disguised only by the wicked gleam of her eyes. Sokka's eyes move downward, tracing the gentle curves of her petite frame. The tank top sits tight across her skin, across the dips of her waist and the swell of her chest, and not for the first time, Sokka takes notices of _that_ too.

Realizing a little too late that he's staring at his best friend… ahem…like _that_ … Sokka shakes away his daze, awkwardly clearing his throat as he follows after Toph, who's already made her way to his fridge. She stands there with the door open, as if inspecting what's inside. And while she can't exactly _look_ to see what's there, she's been here enough times to know what he typically has in stock, which (being a busy bachelor who's barely ever home)... is not much.

A bit more awake now, Sokka walks over to the fridge to help her search. "I've got some beer," he offers, knowing it's her usual choice.

Toph makes a funny face, her nose wrinkled, "Nah."

Sokka raises his brow, skeptically, "Since when do _you_ say no to a free drink?"

Toph shrugs but doesn't answer his question. Instead, she asks her own, "You got any pickle-juice?"

"Pickle Juice?" Sokka parrots, incredulously. He waits to see if Toph is messing with him, but the look on her face tell him that she's not. "Uh…sure, I guess."

Gently, Sokka moves Toph out of the way so he can dig in his fridge for the jar of pickles – one of the items he _does_ actually have on hand, oddly enough. He rights himself up before moving to open the jar, but the lid doesn't want to budge. He shakes his hand out, as if the motion will somehow give him strength, before trying again. But - again - he fails. Frustrated, Sokka pulls a little harder on the lid, but it stays tightly in place, and the strangled sounds coming from his throat are starting to get a _bit_ embarrassing.

"Want _me_ to open it?" Toph asks, a hint of tease in her voice.

"No, no." Sokka insists, still struggling, "I got it."

He huffs out his chest, bracing himself before giving the lid one last forceful twist, and it _finally_ opens, coming off with an anticlimactic, somewhat disappointing pop. A bit more satisfied than he should be, Sokka hands the now _open_ jar of pickles to Toph, "Here ya go. One jar of pickles for the lady. Uhh…You can just sip the juice, I guess."

"Thanks, Mr. Muscles." She takes the jar from his hands, an amused look on her face, "My hero."

"Hey," Sokka defends, catching on to her jest. He makes a show of flexing his biceps, even though she can't see, "I've really filled out over the years, thank you very much."

"Right," she says, "Tell that to the jar of pickles."

Sokka takes a second to sulk, then tries not to cringe as Toph takes a sip from the pickle jar. He's not sure how anyone could drink straight up _pickle_ juice, but to each their own, he supposes. A bit of the juice dribbles down Toph's chin, and she darts out her tongue to lick at her lips. If it was any other type of juice, the sight might be kind of cute (or maybe even a bit _erotic_ ), so maybe the fact that it _is_ pickle juice is a good thing. _Get your mind out of the gutter, Sokka._

Toph leans back against the counter and continues to take gracious sips of pickle juice, and Sokka stands across from her, not sure what else to do. Now that Toph has made herself at home, Sokka remembers to wonder why she's here in the first place. Sure, they hang out here a bunch, so he doesn't _mind_ her being here. Plus, Toph being Toph, it's not _that_ strange that she'd show up unannounced. Still, surely even _Toph_ knows that it's a bit rude to show up in the middle of the night. Something tells Sokka that this is more than just a friendly visit.

He knows Toph well enough to know when something's on her mind, and the current, anxious tapping of her foot, tied with the barest downturn of her eyes, tells him that not only is something on her mind, something is _wrong_.

"So," Sokka starts, after a moment, "Not that I'm not happy to see you… even at two o'clock in the morning, when we both have work the next day… but ya wanna tell me why you're here?"

Toph merely shrugs, "Just wanted to talk, I guess."

"At two in the morning?" Sokka points out, not buying it.

"Okay, I _needed_ to talk," she admits, rolling her eyes as she takes another sip from the pickle jar.

"Well," Sokka says, less sarcastically, "Then I'm glad you came. You know can always talk to me about _anything_ , right?"

Again, she rolls her eyes, though Sokka picks up on the twinge of affection, "Alright, Mushball, no need to get all… mushy."

Now it's Sokka who rolls his eyes, but he too does it with affection. Toph has opened up a lot over the years, but it always takes just a bit of prodding first. Sokka walks up and stands beside her, joining her against the counter. Now that he's closer, he can't help but notice the bags of grey under her eyes, though he's not sure if its lack of sleep (which is certainly possible, considering the hour of the night) or stress (which is also possible, considering her demanding work schedule as of late).

"Toph," He nudges her shoulder with his, gently, "Tell me what's wrong."

A moment passes. Toph bites her lips, clearly caught between the desire to confide and her habit of bottling things up. A difficult habit to break, but Sokka gives her the time and space to think.

After a beat. "It's Kanto." she says, her voice strangely unreadable.

"Oh," Sokka swallows the sudden lump in his throat. "What about him?" he asks, making a distinct effort to keep _his_ voice unreadable too.

Which is hard, considering the urge he has to _explode_.

 _Ugh_ … _Kanto._ Toph's most recent 'boyfriend'… Or, _ex_ -boyfriend, as of just a few weeks ago. Admittedly, Sokka was more than glad when they broke up. He was never very fond of _any_ of Toph's boyfriends, for whatever reason, but he's always felt particularly uneasy around Kanto.

Don't get him wrong, Kanto's a nice guy and all, but he runs around with a pretty rough crowd. It surprised Sokka that Toph was even willing to date him in the first place, considering she's the fricken _Chief of Police_ and knows better than to fraternize with 'questionable' characters. But Toph always insisted it 'wasn't that serious' anyway, and that 'just because Kanto has _friends_ who are criminals doesn't mean _he's_ a criminal'.

Sokka had always felt inclined to disagree, but even as Toph's best friend, he hadn't felt like it was his place to say anything. She's a grown ass woman, she's more than capable of taking care of herself, and she has every right to date whomever she wants.

Still… why did she have to date _Kanto_? Kanto the earthbender, with the chiseled chin and muscled arms. Kanto, who's just soooo perfect and _apparently_ has certain appendages that are considered 'above-average' (there are some things he overhears when Toph and his sister drink too much that he _really_ wishes he wouldn't).

And why did Toph and Kanto have to be so… _couple-ey._ For two people who 'weren't that serious,' they sure did engage in a lot of PDA when they were dating. Toph would always find her way onto Kanto's lap on nights out, and Kanto would blow obnoxious raspberries into her cheek, making her giggle in a way that Sokka never could. All the while, Sokka would sit on the other side of the booth, nothing for company but a drink in his hands as he pretended to focus on Aang and Katara's diaper discussions and _not_ the envy boiling in his gut.

How long did they even date for? A few months? Six or seven? Too long, in Sokka's opinion.

As far as he's is concerned, Toph is _way_ too good for him. Well, she's way too good for _any_ guy, really. But still, she can at least do better than _Kanto_. Sure, Kanto may be nice and all, and he's not _totally_ stupid. And okay, maybe he's a _little_ funny at times, but he's certainly not as funny as Sokka, right? Perhaps Kanto is kinda strong – tough guy and all – but Sokka is strong too! (ahem… not counting his pickle jar mishap). More importantly, Kanto definitely doesn't know Toph as well as _Sokka_ does, that's for sure. Pfft, yeah, she was right to break up with him. Kanto's not _that_ great. He's-

"He's dead." Toph says.

"Wha….what?" Sokka asks, pulled from his mental rant, "What do you mean he's dead? Like… _dead_ dead?"

"No, I mean only a _little_ dead," Toph says, sarcastically. She lands a signature punch to his arm, though it lacks its usual flair, "Of course he's ' _dead_ dead'. What other kind of dead is there!?"

Sokka rubs the sore spot on his arm, "You're right. Sorry, that was a stupid question."

"Whatever." Toph says, brushing him off. Jar of pickles still in hand, she pushes herself off the counter and sulks over to his sitting area. She places the jar on the coffee table before plopping herself down on his couch, and for the first time, she looks just as exhausted as one _should_ feel this time of night.

Sokka walks over and joins her on the couch, though he keeps a bit of distance between them, not sure if she _wants_ to be physically comforted right now. He bites his lips, wondering what the right thing is to say here. He's experienced his fair share of death – his mom, _Yue_ , and most recently his beloved Gran Gran – though experiencing your own grief doesn't exactly make sharing in someone else's any easier, especially considering he was never Kanto's biggest fan to begin with.

He feels a little bad for thinking so ill of the dead, but he tries to focus less on how _he_ feels and more on how Toph must feel. And how _does_ she feel? How is one _supposed_ to feel when their ex – who according to Toph, was never anything 'serious' - passes away? Sad, of course… but surely not _as_ sad as losing a parent or family member… or an _actual_ loved one, right?

Then again, does Toph have any grief to compare this to? Sokka thinks back, and he realizes … no, she doesn't. She still has both parents, and her grandparents either died before she was born or when she was too young to remember. Plus, she was one of the few lucky enough not to have lost any family to the war. As far as Sokka knows, this is the first time someone she's cared for (because yes, as much as Sokka hates to admit it, she _did_ care for Kanto. At least in some way) has died.

It's probably not the right thing to say, at least not yet, but Sokka asks, "How did he die?"

Mentally, he smacks himself for asking. Why is he wondering about the gruesome details of this guy's death, rather than comforting his friend?

Toph doesn't seem to mind though. In fact, her voice sounds oddly void of emotion. Dull, as if reciting the weather, "Idiot got himself killed, in a gang fight. Threw hands with the wrong person, and well… that was that."

"A _gang_ fight?" Sokka says, unable to hold back his surprise, "Wow. I knew he didn't hang around with the best crowd, but I had no idea he was involved with actual _gangs._ "

"Yeah, well," Toph blows at her bangs, "Me neither. At least, not until recently."

"Wait, how long have you known?" Sokka asks, slightly offended, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know," She says, her patience wearing thin, "I broke up with him as soon as I found out, so I didn't think it mattered."

Toph reaches for the jar of pickles - looking for a distraction, Sokka guesses. She takes a pickle from the jar and bites down on it with a harsh sounding _crunch_.

Sokka nods, though he's still a bit unsettled to hear that Toph has been running around with _actual_ criminals. Again, without thinking, he says, "I always knew there was something off about him."

"Yeah, yeah," Toph rolls her eyes, speaking through a mouthful of pickle, "I know you didn't like him."

_She does? How long has she known?_

"It's not that," Sokka scratches the back of his neck, sheepishly, "I just think you deserve _better_ than to be dating a criminal."

"He wasn't a _criminal_ , Sokka," Toph says, a bit harshly, "At least… he wasn't at first. I don't know. I don't think he was _always_ involved, otherwise I would have caught him lying when I asked."

"Well I still think you deserve better." Sokka says, carefully, "It was good that you broke up with him."

"Pfft, doesn't matter now, does it?" Toph shakes her head, "You know, since he's _dead_."

Sokka flinches at her bluntness, _and_ at his own selfishness. Now is not the time to bash on her failed relationship or to lecture her on what she 'deserves'. It's not up to him to decide, anyway. Besides, Sokka may not have _liked_ Kanto, but that doesn't mean he wanted him _dead_.

"Are…" Sokka clears his throat, awkwardly, "Are you okay?"

Toph shrugs, her face hardened like steel, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, he _was_ your boyfriend," Sokka points out, as much as he doesn't like it.

"I guess," Toph says, "But I didn't _love_ him. Not like that. You know, like how Aang loves Katara, or how you used to love Suki… or how Iroh will always love tea."

"Yeah," Sokka muses, long past flinching at the mention of his ex, "But it's okay if you're _not_ okay. You did _care_ about him, I assume."

"I did," Toph agrees, though she still sounds unsure, "But, I mean… what right do I _have_ to 'not be okay'? _I_ broke up with _him,_ remember? I'm the one that let him go."

"You had to, Toph," Sokka places his hand on her back, comfortingly, "It was for the best."

"Was it?" Toph counters, skeptically, "Maybe if I had stayed… If I had _helped_ him instead of leaving him - maybe I could have gotten him out before it was too late... Maybe he'd still be alive."

Sokka frowns, surprised by her rather morose tone. He leans forward, his eyes making contact with her blind ones, "It's not your fault, Toph."

"Maybe not." Again, Toph shakes her head, still not convinced, "But now we'll never know. Now there's not even a _chance_ for him to get out, to get a better life. Now he's _gone_ , and our ba-"

Toph stops herself, abruptly. Sokka waits for her to continue, but she doesn't. "Your what?" he prompts.

"Nothing." She says. She grabs another pickle. Takes a bite.

"Look, Toph," Sokka sighs, bracing himself, "I know what it's like to feel guilty when someone you care about dies. I felt that way when my mom died, when _Yue_ died."

Toph doesn't respond, but Sokka can tell that she's listening intently – even as she crunches down on her pickle - so he continues, "I know what it's like to wonder if you could have done _more._ More to protect them."

Toph finishes her pickle, swallowing it slowly. Her expression wilts, her guise of apathy starting to slip, "Do you ever _stop_ wondering?"

"No," Sokka admits, a bit regretfully. But he knows Toph will accept nothing but honesty, so he gives it to her, "A part of you will always wonder, not just about that, but about _all_ the 'what-if's'. It's just a part of grieving, I'm afraid."

Toph nods, but again, she doesn't respond. Her blind gaze looks more spacey that normal, lost in thought as she stares into darkness.

"Grief never goes away, but you learn to live with it. I know it sucks, but I promise, it _does_ get better." Sokka says, sympathetically, "But for now, like I said, it's okay to _not_ be okay. It's only natural to feel sad."

Toph furrows her brows, then says, "But I'm _not_ sad."

Sokka blinks, surprised by the harshness of her tone, "…You're not?'"

"No." she says, firmly. But even as she denies her sorrow, her eyes are getting red, brimming with moisture. "I'm not _sad_. I'm _angry_."

"Angry?"

"Yes, I'm fucking _furious_!" Toph balls her fists, hitting them against the top of her thighs, "I _warned_ him to stay out of trouble! I told him what would happen if he didn't, but did he listen to me? No! He chose his gang over _me!"_

 _That's ridiculous_ , Sokka thinks. _Who would choose a gang over_ _ **Toph**_ _? Who would choose_ _ **anything**_ _over her?_

Sokka tries to reason, "Maybe he didn't know that you _wanted_ him to choose you?"

"Well he didn't bother to find out, did he?" Toph says, bitterly, "I'm not even sure I _wanted_ him like that, but now we'll never know."

Unsure how else to comfort her, Sokka rubs at her back, empathetically, "I'm sorry, Toph."

"It's just such a waste, Sokka!" Toph wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand, refusing to let the tears fall.

But the dam can only withstand so much pressure before it inevitably bursts, and Sokka watches as tears finally _do_ slip from Toph's eyes. She breaths in a shaky breath, her face twisted with pain as she loses control, her cries gaining momentum.

For a moment, Sokka is too stunned to do anything. When was the last time he saw Toph cry? When they were kids? During the war? It's been so long that he can't remember, but he remembers enough to know that he's never seen her cry like _this_. Like this, with _grief_ \- and all that comes with it.

Sokka, finally collecting himself, tries his best to comfort her. Not sure what else he can do, he wraps his arms around her and pulls her to his chest. Her cries only amplify, as if his arms are a chamber for sound. She burrows herself into his embrace as she cries, giving in to the need for comfort, yet she also pounds her fists into his chest, torn between needing to be touched and needing to _hurt_. Sokka takes it in strides though, his chest taking the brunt of her fists as she releases her pain. Honestly, he'd let her do worse, if it could take away _all_ her pain. Seeing her hurt like _this_ is far more painful than any punch could ever be.

"It's not fair, Sokka," Toph says, her cheek pressed against his chest, "It's not _fair_."

"I know, Toph," Sokka pets her hair, gently, "I know. I'm so sorry."

"I didn't even love him," she says, her voice unrecognizable through her tears, "So why does it hurt so bad?"

Sokka continues to stroke the top of her head, rocking her back and forth in his arms. He knows there's nothing he can say right now to make her feel better. He wants to take away her pain, but what she _needs_ is to feel it, to let herself grieve.

Still, Sokka tries, "Shhh, Toph. It'll be okay. I promise."

"No," Toph chokes down a sob, shaking her head, "It won't be."

"It will," Sokka whispers, cooing in her ear.

"No." Toph repeats. Slowly, she pushes herself out of his embrace, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, "You don't understand, Sokka."

"I do, Toph," Sokka says, patiently, "I know what it's like to lose a loved one. Grief is painful, but it's a part of life. Trust me, I-"

"I'm _pregnant,_ Sokka."

He blinks. Then blinks again. 

"What?" Sokka says, unable to say anything else.

Toph takes a deep breath, then starts to explain, "I just found out today."

"Today." Sokka says, dumbly.

"I haven't been feeling that well lately, and you know, there were some other symptoms." She pauses to sniffle, rubbing at her snot-filled nose, "Anyway, I went to a healer. She confirmed it. I'm already twelve weeks along."

"Weeks." Sokka repeats, as if the word is foreign. On instinct, he looks down at her belly, but other than the _slightest_ hint of bump, it's still too soon to tell.

"I went to go tell Kanto. I figured he had the right to know. And I thought… I thought maybe we could make up. For the sake of the baby."

"Baby?" Sokka tilts his head, still confused.

But Toph continues, as if she didn't even hear him, "But that's when I found out about what happened. That he died. He _died_ , Sokka. Without ever even knowing that he'd be a father."

"Father?" Sokka squints, still trying to make sense of it all.

"And now I'm angry," she says, a fresh set of tears threatening her voice, "I'm angry, because _he_ decided it would be better to a criminal than to be with me, and now our kid has to grow up without its father."

Toph finishes her speech, and the room falls into a pregnant pause, silent and heavy. Sokka sits with his mouth hanging open, his eyes blinking as he takes it all in. It takes more time that he'd care to admit, but eventually, the realization that _Toph is pregnant!_ – and all that it means - dawns on him.

"Fuck." Is all he can say.

"Yeah," Toph agrees. Her throat makes a strangled sound, somewhere between a laugh and a cry. "Fuck."

Without much thought, Sokka reaches forward to pull Toph into yet another embrace. She lets out a small yelp of surprise as he wraps his arms around her, squeezing her body tightly into his, but after a few seconds, she returns the gesture.

It's hard to explain the strange mix of emotions going through Sokka's head. _Joy_ , at the realization that Toph is going to be a mom. _Sorrow_ , at the realization that her kid will never know its dad. And… _Jealousy_ … at the realization that Sokka is _not_ its dad - that Toph is _having a kid_ with someone else. It feels a bit wrong to be jealous of a _dead_ guy, and of course the fact that he's even jealous in the first place introduces a whole _other_ can of worms that he's not quite ready to open.

So, instead of focusing on _that_ , Sokka decides to focus on the more important piece in this complex puzzle of emotions, which is, of course... _Toph_.

"I'm so sorry, Toph," Sokka whispers in her ear, earnestly, "I'm so sorry for your loss."

And his is. Because it's not just the loss of someone she cared for - someone she could have loved, but never quite got the chance. It's the loss of what _should_ have been the happiest time of her life. The loss of a family that she hadn't had the chance to start. The loss of a _possibility._

But… where one possibility dies, another takes its place.

"I know it won't be easy," Sokka says, tightening his arms around her frame. For someone so strong, it's remarkable how small she feels. "And I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you'll never get the chance to love him in the way you wanted. In the way you _deserved._ And I know it's not the same, but… _I_ promise to be there, every step of the way."

"I can't ask that of you," Toph says, through another sniffle. 

"You're not," He assures, "I'm offering. Because I _want_ to."

It's quite a drastic thing to say, when you think of what it all means, but he knows what he's committing to, and he _means_ every word. Too emotionally spent to offer an adequate response, Toph merely nods against him, her arms tightening around his torso in a silent _thank you_. She tilts her head so that her face brushes against his neck, and Sokka tries not to _shiver_ as her lips brush against his skin. This is not the time for that.

At least, he doesn't _think_ it is.

Why then, does he feel Toph press her lips against him? Surely, she's not kissing him on purpose, right? Maybe he's imagining it.

But no, her lips pucker against his neck again, her breath hot on his skin, and this time Sokka knows he's _not_ imagining it. 

"I couldn't have loved him," Toph whispers, her voice low and promising, "Because there was already _you_."

This time, Sokka can't _help_ the shiver that tingles down his spine. This _must_ be a dream. It's the middle of the night, there's no way Toph is _actually_ here, in his house and in his arms, whispering admissions he hadn't dared to hope for. This can't be _real_ , can it?

But again, Sokka knows he has to be awake, as Toph's lips now press against his, and they are much too soft and warm to be only a dream. Sokka's not sure what's happening, or _how_ it's happening, but Toph is definitely _kissing_ him, not in a dream, but here and now. Her face is centimeters away from his, her cheeks still stained by the track of her tears, and her lips are on his. Before he knows what he's doing, Sokka closes his eyes and starts to move his lips against hers, giving in to something he hadn't allowed himself to admit that he wanted.

Apparently, Toph hadn't allowed herself to admit it either, as only a few seconds after Sokka starts kissing her back, she abruptly pulls away, jerking back as if she's been stung.

"Sokka," Toph touches her lips - the source of the stinger, "I'm so sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me, I shouldn't have let myself get carried away. I didn't mean to take advantage, I just-"

"Toph, calm down, it's okay!" Sokka assures, a hint of a smile in his voice. Has he ever seen Toph blush before? He can't remember, but add it to the list of things he'll take notice of from now on.

"Sorry." She takes a deep breath, composing herself, but her cheeks stay pink as she starts to ramble, "I shouldn't have kissed you. Here I am a blubbering mess, dumping all my baggage on you and taking advantage of the moment. And you're being so nice. I shouldn't have-"

"Toph, it's okay," Sokka interrupts, again. He grabs hold of her shoulders, gently squeezing them, "First of all, you're not 'dumping' _anything_ on me. And besides, even if you were… I'm your best friend, right?" she nods as Sokka continues, " And you're mine. That's what I'm here for."

"I know, but-"

"And _second_ of all," Sokka says, "You're not 'taking advantage' of me. You definitely do _not_ have to apologize for kissing me."

"What?" Toph blinks back her surprise.

Sokka smiles. Emotions are still running high, and Toph still needs time to grieve. Plus, her whole _life_ is about to change. Now is probably _not_ the time for humor.

But… maybe she _needs_ something to laugh at, something good and promising. Plus… Sokka being _Sokka,_ can't resist.

"Don't apologize for kissing me," Sokka repeats. Then, with an impish gleam in his eyes, "Just, next time, maybe don't drink _pickle juice_ beforehand, okay?"

Toph blinks again, Sokka's words taking a few second to process, before an uncharacteristically bashful smile lightens her face. She nods her head, blushing behind the weight of her words, "Deal."

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! Hope you liked it! Not sure if I'll get to all the Tokka week prompts, but I'll try to do a few more. If you enjoyed this one, let me know! Thanks for reading!! 🤗


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